Chapter 12: Let’s Give Them a Proper Scare

Rip!

Kim Sun-il tore a specific page from the script and laid it out. Sua immediately examined it—it was a scene involving the character Kim Yuhan.

The determined gaze directed at her, the palpable tension that seemed ready to snap, and the murmurs around her… Yet, Sua felt no sense of crisis.

She was only curious.

“Why is it possible to experience an incomplete character?”

From the outside, it looked like she was fully focused on the script. In reality, she was mentally wandering through the corridors of a luxury hotel.

“Well, I guess I’ll find out once I experience it.”

She stepped into a public phone booth and dialed 001—Kim Yuhan’s number.

With that, shhhhh—!

Her vision was washed in pure white from the edges inward.

Suddenly, she found herself in a basement parking lot.

“Hmm~”

The space was packed with cars, and there she was, casually perched on a car bonnet, humming a tune.

“Hmm-hmm~”

In her hand, she held a sketchbook and pen, her hand moving without rest. The blank page quickly filled with a depiction of her surroundings—so detailed it could be mistaken for a photograph.

To an outsider, she might seem like someone with a deep appreciation for art.

But Sua knew better. It wasn’t about artistry at all.

Her perspective and thought process were now entirely different from others.

The dimensions of the space, the types of cars parked and their license plates, which cars had unlocked doors, the wear on their tires, the possessions inside offering hints about the owners…

She could sense everything. It was as if she could grasp every detail.

Her intuition was no longer the same. Though she still saw with human eyes, it felt like she had gained a new, unique ability.

A genius.

What others could never achieve through sheer effort came effortlessly to her now. And it wasn’t even for a specific purpose—she was just passing time.

Tap.

She abruptly stopped sketching.

A tall man was approaching her.

“Hello.”

The man greeted her first.

He looked like the embodiment of discipline itself, someone who wouldn’t tolerate even the smallest error.

“I’m Lee Kang-chul. I’ve been assigned to the Special Task Force and will be working with Kim Yuhan starting today. We’ll be using vehicle 808.”

“Oh, wow!”

His expression was rigid, almost void of emotion, but Sua’s face lit up with excitement as she rose to her feet.

Meeting new people thrilled her.

She bowed slightly.

“This is my first time with the Special Task Force. Please teach me everything—I’ll do my best to learn. Looking forward to working with you!”

Lee Kang-chul’s face remained stoic, but there was a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

The rumors he had heard about Kim Yuhan didn’t align with what he was seeing. He had expected an unpredictable troublemaker, yet…

…

Even Kang-chul’s thoughts naturally seeped into Sua’s mind at some point, as though it were the most normal thing in the world.

She gave him a bright smile.

“We’re heading out immediately, right? In that case, let’s assign roles. One drives, the other takes the passenger seat.”

“I heard you’re not too familiar with this area yet. Until you get used to it, I’ll handle the driving.”

“Wow, how considerate of you!”

Even as Sua smiled brightly, her eyes darted around, ceaselessly taking in details.

What habits could she deduce from the folds of his uniform, the sleeves, or the collar? How strong might he be? What was in his pockets? And that stuff stuck to the tips of his shoes…

After finishing her calculations, Sua smiled and extended her hand.

“Shall we shake hands before we head out? Even if we’re of the same rank, you’ve got much more experience than me. Please, treat me comfortably.”

Lee Kang-chul seemed to relax, relieved that the person in front of him was different from the rumors. His actions weren’t as rigid as before, which was proof enough.

He grasped Sua’s outstretched hand. Their first meeting—it seemed like a simple, warm exchange.

And then.

“Haha.”

With an unsettling chuckle, Sua’s hand moved lightning-fast, seemingly on its own.

Swish!

In one swift motion, Sua swiped the car keys hanging from Kang-chul’s waistband. It happened so quickly he didn’t even have time to react.

“…!”

By the time Kang-chul’s eyes widened in shock, Sua had already climbed into the car. In the same instant, she locked all the doors.

“Yuhan, what exactly are you doing right now?”

He knocked on the door, but she didn’t seem to hear him. Sua started the car, pressing her head against the steering wheel.

“Oh…”

A soft, almost entranced sound escaped her lips.

How many criminals had been chased down in this car?

How many untold stories were hidden within it?

And that exhaust sound…

“…This is incredible.”

Excited.

She was thrilled.

Heading out on a mission—nothing could be better.

In Kim Yuhan’s mind, it felt like fireworks were exploding.

Excited. Excited. Excited.

But boring investigations wouldn’t do. If one person drives, the other should run… that’s how it gets fun. You can’t deal with criminals rationally. You have to…

Vroom!

And so, Kim Yuhan hit the accelerator, leaving Kang-chul behind.

“Kim Yuhan! Hey, you idiot!”

Kang-chul’s shouts echoed behind her, but…

“Senior, you can run. You said you knew the area well, right?”

The rearview mirror reflected her own face, twisted in excitement.

Screech!

The loud, ringing tinnitus brought her back to reality.

“Phew…”

Sua took a deep breath, steadying herself, and looked around.

Everyone—Kim Sun-il, Seo Yeon-ju, and the rest—were staring at her. Their eyes were brimming with curiosity, fixed solely on her.

“Ugh, their gazes are going to burn holes in me.”

She couldn’t help but tightly close her eyes. Kim Yuhan’s thoughts and habits still lingered vividly, almost hauntingly.

From the café’s interior to the people before her, everything felt overwhelming as her senses tried to process it all. But this wasn’t Kim Yuhan’s body—it was Sua’s. Naturally, her head throbbed from the strain.

With a slight shake of her head, she pulled herself together. It was a small gesture, but it had a big effect, grounding her in reality.

“Kim Yuhan…!”

“They want you to try acting as Kim Yuhan?”

“It’s a male role. And it’s incomplete at that…?”

Kim Sun-il’s piercing gaze fixed on Sua, while the surrounding chatter buzzed noisily. But she wasn’t bothered. Instead, her body itched with the urge to recreate the experience she had just undergone.

However, one lingering curiosity remained.

Sua returned to the torn page that Kim Sun-il had shown her.

Page 198. [S#49] Underground parking lot/Night
Kang-chul: [This is Lee Kang-chul. I’ve been assigned to the special task force, and from today, I’ll be working with Kim Yuhan and using car 808.]
Kim Yuhan reacts as expected of him.

“…Ah, looking at it again, the script ends here, doesn’t it?”

It truly was an incomplete role. Unlike the vivid experience she had just lived through, the script only contained a simple exchange of greetings between the two characters.

This only deepened her curiosity.

“The unfinished parts that even the writer hadn’t penned down… The special privilege allowed me to experience those, too. How would they react if I showed them?”

It wouldn’t be hard to find out.

All she needed to do was show it and observe their reactions.

Finally, Sua began to move.

“Hey.”

Kim Sun-il’s request prompted Sua to shake her head.

“That won’t work.”

“…Won’t work? That won’t work?”

Everyone assumed Sua had rejected the idea. It was only natural to think so, given the incomplete male role and the difference in gender.

However—

“Let’s do it together.”

With that single additional statement, everyone noticed the change.

Her tone and demeanor were entirely different from usual. It became clear: Sua was merely immersing herself in the role.

Seo Yeon-ju nudged Kim Sun-il in the ribs and whispered.

“Sun-il, you take on the role of Kang-chul. This isn’t just a casual reading—she’s planning to show us through full acting.”

“…Alright.”

Though it was unexpected, Kim Sun-il quickly agreed. He was just as curious about how Sua had interpreted Kim Yuhan.

By then, Sua was already pretending to sketch something, scanning the surroundings as if possessed.

Approaching her, Kim Sun-il spoke.

“This is Lee Kang-chul. I’ve been assigned to the special task force, and from today, I’ll be working with Kim Yuhan and using car 808.”

Thud!

Sua’s face instantly lit up with delight at the sight of Kang-chul, her reaction catching everyone off guard.

“Her entire expression has changed.”

“Was that really the fierce face? It doesn’t seem that way at all now. Her countenance, which was once sharp and intense, now appears so approachable and gentle. This wasn’t the same face that once seemed as sharp as a blade…”

Her previously piercing gaze, which could cut like a blade, now formed soft, inviting curves, almost seductive in their kindness.

“Wow, how thoughtful of you!”

Though she spoke warmly, Sua’s eyes never stopped moving.

Kim Sun-il, standing directly in front of her, couldn’t notice, but to the judges observing from the side, it was all too clear. Sua’s sharp, meticulous eyes were scanning everything around her in detail.

Seo Yeon-ju quietly set her coffee cup down.

Her expression mirrored something close to stunned admiration. While the vividness of the acting was remarkable, the true shock came from something else.

She noticed Sua repeatedly brushing her hand over the script.

“Incomplete… these parts aren’t even written?”

Yet Sua’s performance showed no hesitation at all.

“…It’s perfect.”

Everyone watched without even blinking.

Though Kim Sun-il stood frozen, Sua continued her acting, determined to see it through.

“…Senior, you run. You said you’re familiar with the roads, right?”

And just like that, it was over. Sua, who had been playful moments before, swiftly returned to a stern demeanor, as though drawing a definitive line between performance and reality.

Silence.

A long silence followed.

“…Well, that’s it for now.”

Even after Sua announced that she had finished, the silence lingered.

It was writer Lee Geum-sook who finally broke it.

“Sua.”

Even in those few words, her voice trembled slightly.

“I want to ask why you acted the way you did.”

Sua held back her first thought—to explain she had experienced it firsthand. That wouldn’t be enough. She needed to come up with a better explanation.

But the situation was unexpectedly tricky.

“…What is this reaction? Did they not like it?”

She wanted to brush it off, but that wasn’t an option. The determined look in the writer’s sharp eyes demanded an answer.

In the end, Sua cautiously began to explain her feelings.

“A genius—someone whose quirks constantly trouble those around them, but at the same time, someone deeply passionate about justice and fully committed to catching criminals… that’s the kind of character I felt he was.”

“Go deeper. Be more specific. Why did you interpret him that way? Explain everything, in detail.”

“Um, well…”

Should she really be honest about this? Ah, whatever. There was nothing to say except what the experience had taught her.

“…It’s because of the role of Lee Kang-chul.”

“Lee Kang-chul?”

“Yes.”

Sua nodded firmly.

“He’s already a character who defies convention, but the protagonist, Lee Kang-chul, always acts strictly by the rules. If someone like Lee Kang-chul were to change because of a genius who challenges the status quo… I thought it might feel like that.”

Bang!

At that moment, Lee Geum-sook sprang from her seat.

The desk shook so violently that the coffee and ice in her glass spilled all over the floor.

“W-What the heck! What’s going on?”

Sua flinched as if she’d been shocked.

“Why, why, what’s happening…?”

“Sua, wait a moment. My laptop. Get me my laptop.”

Lee Geum-sook snatched the laptop handed to her by PD Choi Hee-won and began furiously typing while standing.

Even as the spilled coffee stained her fuzzy slippers a deep brown, she didn’t bat an eye. The others, too, ignored the overturned cups entirely. To Sua, the scene felt completely bizarre.

“This is good. Let’s change this here… and this…”

Click-clack, click-clack—!

She seemed possessed. Or maybe she was a virtuoso pianist.

Finally, with a decisive motion, Lee Geum-sook shut the laptop with a snap!

Facing Sua, she made a bold declaration.

“Sua, your interpretation was absolutely brilliant, and your acting matched it perfectly. I’m truly grateful.”

“Uh…”

Sua’s thoughts scrambled. This is a compliment, right?

“But, let’s add one more thing to the setup.”

“Setup?”

“Yes. Something that will make a real impact.”

What kind of change was she suggesting? Sua’s curiosity piqued. Then, Lee Geum-sook made a shocking statement.

“We’ll change Kim Yu-han’s gender to female. But at the start, we’ll have her disguised as a man. Later, in the climax—ta-da!—she’ll reveal herself as a woman.”

“Wait, so… a cross-dressing woman?”

“Exactly. Kim Yu-han is a quirky genius, right? The type who would do anything to catch a criminal, even deceive her own allies.”

Lee Geum-sook’s excitement was palpable. It was electrifying.

“And think about it—Sua, you’re a fresh face in the industry, right? That means no one in the audience knows you yet.”

As if divinely inspired, Lee Geum-sook nodded with conviction.

“…Sua, you must take on the role of Kim Yu-han. It has to be you. No one else can do it. Only you, who have already interpreted Kim Yu-han so uniquely, can bring this character to life. Let’s truly shock our viewers.”